ASTHO Members Episodes

Kathy Jorgensen, board member for the National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural Emergency Programs, explains why it’s essential to account for animals in all emergency planning; Jeffrey Ekoma, senior director of government affairs at ASTHO, discusses HHS nominations, rescissions, and more...

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, ASTHO member and chief medical executive for the State of Michigan, explains how Michigan’s multifaceted approach has reduced overdose deaths across the state; Heidi Westermann, director of public health data modernization and informatics at ASTHO...

Ali Maffey, vice president of social and behavioral health at ASTHO, explains how ASTHO’s new legal map assists with suicide prevention infrastructure; Noell Stone, practicum and capstone director at the University of New Mexico’s College of Population Health...

Catherine Murphy, government affairs analyst at ASTHO, describes the impact of potential cuts to federally funded public health preparedness programs in a new Federal Health Policy Update; Monique Farmer, president of Avant Solutions, shares what she’ll be discussing in today’s ASTHO webinar on public health communication strategies...

In today's PHIG Impact Report, Dr. Robert Goldstein, ASTHO member and the commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, takes us through how his department is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant.

Laura Knights, CEO and founder of Knights Consulting, shares what the second installment of ASTHO’s Ignite, Accelerate, Activate series has to offer public health leadership; Dr. Anil Mangla, director for disease surveillance and control at the South Nevada Health District...

Kristen Rogers, a jounalist for CNN Wellness, explains why synthetic food dyes are being banned by states across the country and how each state is taking action; Felicia Quintana-Zinn, associate director of health data with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, discusses...

Dr. Allison Arwady, director at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC, details a recent webinar focused on mental health and overdose prevention; Beth Giambrone, ASTHO senior analyst for state health policy, explains..

This special episode of Public Health Review Morning Edition revisits a popular episode from April 18, 2025. Dr. Allison Arwady, director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC, tells us about historic progress in the field of overdose prevention; Catherine Murphy, ASTHO government affairs analyst, discusses the advocacy effort from ASTHO’s Spring Leadership Forum.

This special episode of Public Health Review Morning Edition revisits a popular episode from April 1, 2025. Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, gives examples from across the country of success stories that stem from the Public Health Infrastructure Grant in this 'PHIG Impact Report.' This work is supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, through OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

Kelly Dougherty, deputy commissioner at the Vermont Department of Health, shares how drug testing has helped reduce the state’s opioid overdose deaths; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s senior director for government affairs, breaks down this week’s View From Washington, D.C. report on public health news from Capitol Hill; Dr. Ralph Alvarado, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, shares how he works with legislators to improve public health

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO; Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president; Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer; Dr. Lindsay Weaver of Indiana; Dr. James McDonald of New York; and Dr. Ralph Alvarado of Tennessee, share more from Tuesday’s deskside briefing on the Impact of Nutrition on Chronic Disease Prevention; Kelly Dougherty, deputy commissioner at the Vermont Department of Health, explains...

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president, Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, Dr. Lindsay Weaver of Indiana, Dr. James McDonald of New York, and Dr. Ralph Alvarado of Tennessee, held a deskside briefing on the Impact of Nutrition on Chronic Disease Prevention; Catherine Jones, senior analyst of government affairs at ASTHO, shares...

Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president and state health officer with the Alabama Department of Public Health, discusses takeaways from the most recent ASTHO Board of Directors meeting; Alex Kurutz, dialysis epidemiologist for the Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program at the Tennessee Department of Health...

Dr. Anna-Michelle McSorley, assistant professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut, details the findings of her recent study on quality of life indicators in three U.S. territories and explains the importance of data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; Christina Severin, director of public health law at ASTHO, discusses her role on the State Health Policy team...

Dr. James McDonald, ASTHO member and commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, discusses the State’s Heat Risk and Illness Dashboard and how it can reduce heat-related injury; Dr. Tara Kirk Sell, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security...

Melissa Magstadt, secretary of health for South Dakota and an ASTHO member, explains the state’s first-in-the-nation anonymous naloxone kit distribution program; Colton Anderson, ASTHO senior analyst for public health systems and improvement, tells us about ASTHO’s Quality Advisory Group...

Elizabeth Gunsalus, K-12 education and outreach project manager at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, explains how the department’s Mobile Lab Experience has been beneficial; Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, spoke at a recent Trust for America’s Health media briefing...

Brian King, executive vice president for U.S. programs at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, explains how state and local programs are the lifeblood of tobacco prevention; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO's senior director for government affairs, updates us...

Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, provides updates on measles and the avian flu; Dr. Ralph Alvarado, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health and an ASTHO member...

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and an ASTHO member, tells us why his department wanted to create a dashboard focused on measles; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director of government affairs...

Deputy secretary for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Ashley Goss, shares how her agency’s new health and environment laboratories are transforming public health response with expanded laboratory capabilities; Get to know ASTHO's Catherine Murphy...

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive for the State of Michigan, explains the state’s Public Health Data Dashboard, which visualizes public health trends by district and helps to shape awareness of public health’s role in the community;...

Dr. Alex Walley, professor of medicine at the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, addresses the opioid overdose crisis and community engagement, topics at the Rhode Island’s Community Overdose Engagement (CODE) Summit; Sean...